Navi Mumbai: Panvel city police have arrested a supervisor of Tata Projects Ltd and two scrap vendors for allegedly stealing steel and aluminium materials worth Rs 1.50 crore from the company's open warehouse in Karanjade, Panvel taluka. The materials were intended for the construction of a railway track and bridge project. According to police, the supervisor conspired with the two scrap vendors and was paid Rs 10 lakh for his involvement.
Recovery of Stolen Materials
Police recovered the entire stolen steel and aluminium materials, along with the Rs 10 lakh, from the supervisor's house in Dombivli. ACP (Panvel division) Bhausaheb Dhole stated that on April 28, Kamlakar Shastri, the general manager of Tata Project Limited Company, filed an FIR regarding the theft of steel and aluminium materials worth Rs 1.50 crore, which were stored at the open warehouse in Karanjade. The materials were meant for the construction of a railway track and railway overbridge (ROB) on the stretch from JNPT to Vaitarna, a project subcontracted to the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC).
Details of the Theft
Since the height of the railway bridge on the road from Shilphata to Kalyan was to be demolished to raise the bridge height, the construction materials were brought on April 5 from Steel Works Company based in Alwar, Rajasthan. The theft came to light on April 28 when Shastri visited the open warehouse at Karanjade, as the materials were required for transportation to the railway track and bridge site.
Investigation and Arrests
ACP Dhole explained that during the investigation, it was revealed that the supervisor of Tata Project Limited, identified as Vijay Kumar Verma (48), had conspired with the two scrap vendors, Parvez Alam (29) from Palghar and Ajijur Rehman (47) from Dahisar, to commit the theft. The entire stolen construction material was recovered from the scrap vendors' warehouse at Shilphata, Daighar.
The police have taken swift action and have arrested all three individuals involved. The stolen materials have been returned to the company. Further investigation is ongoing to determine if any other individuals were involved in the theft.
